Editorial: Knight commission earns failing grade on graduation

Posted: Tuesday, July 10, 2001

It is difficult to oppose the apparent reasoning behind the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, but the logic behind the foundation's recent report requires an educational instant replay. The controversial report, released last month, attempts to increase the graduation rate of student-athletes in colleges and universities across the nation. Who could argue with this objective?

However, the recommendation that institutions with low student-athlete graduation rates be banned from postseason play applies an educational standard that fails to consider the reality facing not only student-athletes, but colleges and universities in general.

According to the commission, institutions must graduate at least half the students who play in each sport. Teams with rates lower than that would be barred from postseason games. According to NCAA statistics, at major universities about 42 percent of men's basketball players and 48 percent of football players graduate. These numbers are indicative of a problem, but creating a standard such as the commission recommends would lead to larger problems.

How does an institution's graduation rate for student-athletes compare to the overall student body? It could be viewed as discriminatory to apply a rule to one segment of the student population, especially if graduation rates are lower for the overall population.

Financially, football and men's basketball are sacred cows for many schools, generating millions. Decreasing or eliminating the revenue from postseason games, such as lucrative college football bowl games, would affect the athletic budgets of smaller sports at each institution. In effect, smaller sports, many required by Title IX, would be adversely affected. In addition, schools in the Big 12 Conference and other conferences could be affected since bowl revenues are shared.

Men's basketball, in particular, presents questions. How would the mass exodus of student-athletes to the professional ranks before graduation be considered?

Rather than solving a problem, the commission's recommendation would have unintended consequences. The commission has goals people can support, but an alternative is needed based on the reality of the situation.